


hellfire

by iwriteinpen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Banter, Canon Compliant, Confessions, Demon Summoning, Demons, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Karasuno, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Death, Supernatural Elements, demon hunting, i mean demon hunting is a thing sooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22600642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwriteinpen/pseuds/iwriteinpen
Summary: “Dumbass,” says Tobio, again. Hinata had ignored him the first time, which is utterly unacceptable. “You’re a dumbass if you think this’ll work.”Hinata huffs. “I know it will!”“Okay, then you’re just a dumbass.”“I’ve done research, y’know,” says Hinata. As if that changes anything.Tobio flicks Hinata’s ear—it’s a punishment, an evil gesture, it is definitely not the result of Tobio itching to put his hands on him. “Shitty research.”—Or, Hinata decides to start hunting demons, and Kageyama wonders how the hell any of them will survive.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 8
Kudos: 69





	hellfire

**Author's Note:**

> uh soo… hi, i’m Mod S! initially, this was going to be something quite different, but it took on a life of its own and, well… it’s done. What a great first fic in this fandom, huh!

Tobio wonders, idly, at what point he’s supposed to step in and stop Hinata.

No one’s died yet, so he hasn’t really felt obligated to interfere in Hinata’s various ideas.

(He doesn’t count the poor yamatsutsuji flowers they trampled back in June when Hinata had the genius idea to trek Mt. Tokusenjo). 

Granted, this new idea could very well lead in those directions. The death-y, really-no-turning-back-now, seriously-why-do-I-even-put-up-with-you directions.

Tobio sighs and snaps his eyes to Hinata walking beside him. 

It’s just, well, Hinata has this way—this stupid, _stupid_ way—of roping Tobio into things. He talks a mile a minute, and Tobio has no clue if the sounds flying out of him is in Japanese or simply just noise. His hands flutter, distracting Tobio from the prestidigitation; five seconds and Tobio’s a captive audience, hanging onto everything Hinata says.

And he smiles, like he knows exactly what he’s doing, the cretin, but Tobio reckons there’s a better chance of a flea barking than Hinata knowing, well, anything. 

It’s a curse, really. Embarrassing. The way Hinata can say _run_ , and Tobio runs. Says _set to me, Kageyama-kun_ , and Tobio does. If he said _fly_ , Tobio would unfold his wings and push up off the ground until Hinata asked him to come back down.

He grumbles and sneers and snarks, but whatever Hinata asks, Tobio will, inevitably, give. 

“Dumbass,” says Tobio, again. Hinata had ignored him the first time, which is utterly unacceptable. “You’re a dumbass if you think this’ll work.” 

Hinata huffs. “I know it will!”

“Okay, then you’re just a dumbass.”

“I’ve done research, y’know,” says Hinata. As if that changes anything.

Tobio flicks Hinata’s ear—it’s a punishment, an evil gesture, it is definitely not the result of Tobio itching to put his hands on him. “Shitty research.”

“Shut up! You don’t know if it’s shitty.”

“Of course, I do,” Tobio says. His smile is meant to be cutting and mean, but he suspects it’s closer to soft. “You’re the one who did it.”

“I hate you.”

“I know. It’s a mutual feeling.”

According to Hinata’s research—which is objectively definitely shitty—they’ll need salt. 

Tobio had suggested just using the fine cooking salt in his kitchen, but Hinata had pulled a face, _what the hell, Kageyama, no, we need rock salt, idiot_ , and, well, he has to give it to Hinata; rock salt _is_ a means of protection against demons. Not really that great as a weapon, though, but Tobio certainly isn’t about to correct him.

—

There’s a distinct lack of expertise about this whole thing. He’s experienced accidental summonings more competently performed than whatever rookie seánce stuff Hinata thinks he’s doing. 

It’s almost painful to watch him mix the graveyard dirt with crushed acacia when those two ingredients always cancel each other out. Moron, Tobio rolls his eyes.

Still. It’s great fun.

At least, Tobio knows there’s no danger of anything going sideways considering he’s here, observing the whole thing. 

“Are you sure it’s properly mixed,” he asks for the hell of it. He laughs when Hinata shoots him a glare and stirs with yet more vigour. 

Tobio questions what exactly it is about the idiot that makes his heart fly.

Hinata spills a drop of the—harmless, but very disgusting—liquid mix of ingredients as he places it in the circle. 

(Personally, Tobio thinks it’s more like an oval, but Hinata had insisted it added _character_.)

In his haste to clean it up, Hinata almost knocks the candle over. A single candle in the centre of the ritual—that one he got right, at least. The flame flickers, and the light licks at Hinata’s skin, makes shadows dance around the room. Almost like the demons Hinata hopes to conjure. Or whatever it is he thinks he’s doing. 

The warm light drapes itself over Hinata, and Tobio struggles to keep his eyes away, to keep his fingers locked in his fists so he doesn’t end up doing something foolish—like running them along Hinata’s face. 

When Hinata sits back and sighs like he’s about to do a whole speech in one breath, Tobio asks, “What exactly are you hoping to achieve with this?”

Hinata’s eyes snap up to him. The flame reflects in them, swallowing the oxygen in the room. Tobio’s throat is dry.

“It’ll show me if there are any demons present in this town,” Hinata says, “that I need to hunt down.”

He opens his mouth to begin, but Tobio interrupts again. “You should practice before finding one, though. You suck at everything but jumping, and I doubt any demons find a jumping shrimp to be very intimidating.” 

“You bastard, Kageyama!” Hinata jumps up and charges for him, abandoning the bowl on the floor.

— 

When Tobio had told him to practice, he hadn’t actually meant _fight training_. 

He’d hoped this whole demon-hunting phase would be ebbing out by now, but Hinata is nothing if not persistent, Tobio has to give that to him. He’s pushing himself on the volleyball court like always, but when he’s not playing around with a ball, he’s diving into demon-hunting mode. 

— 

It’s when Hinata, a few weeks later, jumps on Tobio at practice, proclaiming he’s now ready to start hunting, that Tobio’s scepticism overflows. 

“Don’t you need, like,” Tobio’s hands flail around in stabbing motions, “a weapon?”

“A weapon?” 

“Yes, dumbass, a weapon.” Tobio steps closer. Towers over Hinata.

“The salt—”

He rolls his eyes and—in that moment—completely forgets he’s not supposed to encourage Hinata further down this path. It’s those pesky brown eyes of his, always catching Tobio’s, making him forget anything but Hinata right there in front of him. “Salt is for protection.”

“Protection? Oh.” Hinata stares for a second as if the thought of protecting himself hasn’t even crossed his mind, the absolute _idiot_. Tobio reaches for him, the want to fist his hands in Hinata’s shirt and shake him— _as punishment, a punishment, a punishment_ —makes his fingertips tingle.

He settles for grabbing his water bottle on the bench behind Hinata and walking away. 

If Hinata’s shoulders slouch in disappointment at his retreating back, Tobio doesn’t see it, and he definitely doesn’t notice the way his pulse spikes at the thought.

—

Hinata had said his mum and Natsu were visiting his grandparents this weekend, so when Tobio steps through the front door and hears voices, he hesitates. 

“Take that!”

“Bwah!”

“Hah-harh!”

Feet drag on the floor before jumping around, and Tobio is so used to the sound of Hinata that he recognizes the movements. 

The dumbass is talking to himself.

Tobio follows the commotion. Walks to the kitchen. He freezes solid in the doorway.

Hinata stands in a duelling position with a hunting knife in his hand, flailing about like a thoughtless fool. 

“What the hell are you doing.” Tobio’s about to fly over there and rip that knife from Hinata’s hands.

Hinata spins so fast even Tobio gets dizzy. “Nothing!”

Tobio doesn’t bother raising a brow, just keeps glaring at the cretin standing in the middle of the kitchen with a knife in his hand. 

“Uh.” Hinata glances at the knife. The blade flashes as the lights reflect in it, blinding Tobio for a second. When he looks again, the knife is on the tabletop, and Hinata is smiling innocently. 

Tobio doesn’t know why he feels like protecting his eyes against that, too. 

Hinata exclaims, “A knife.” 

“I can see that.”

“My weapon,” Hinata tries to explain. Tobio got that. He got that the moment he laid eyes on the gilded shaft and the symbols etched into the silver blade. 

“It’s a demon hunting knife,” Tobio says. He swallows something that feels a bit like fire but colder. His heart pounds, his wings sting with the urge to unfold and take him far, far away.

“Indeed it is!” Hinata jumps up excitedly. Tobio flinches back. 

“What the hell, Hinata, how did you even get this?”

“So, uh, I…” Hinata’s grin shrinks, and he shuffles. (Tobio curses at himself for how he wants to reach out and pull at Hinata’s lips until his grin is wide again.) “I maybe found it at your place the other day—”

“You what,” Tobio spits. The cold fire in his throat spreads to his chest. If Hinata found that knife then he might’ve found so much more… 

“—and you said to find a weapon so I only took it for reference, but then I realised you had spent all this time laughing at me ‘cause, in reality, you’re already hunting demons—”

“You— Wait, I what now?”

“Don’t play dumb! You hunt demons!” A hysterical laugh bubbles in Tobio’s chest. “... and you didn’t even tell me.”

The tone of Hinata’s voice rips him back to the moment, makes ice shoot through his body, freezing him. 

“Are you… upset?” Tobio asks, confused.

“No.” It’s too quick a reply. 

Tobio’s mind reels. 

He’s seen Hinata happy—the idiot rarely is anything _except_ infuriatingly happy—and he’s seen him sad after great losses. Defeated. He’s seen him angry with opponents, with himself, with Tobio. But he doesn’t think he’s ever seen him _hurt_. 

“You are,” he says. He almost says something else, but he clamps his teeth down on his tongue. Tastes blood— _punishment, punishment_.

The things is, Earth is different from Hell. There are all the obvious reasons it is different—the temperature, the inhabitants, the general concept of pain, and so on.

And then there are reasons like: Volleyball. The Karasuno Team. Friends and teammates. 

Or, at least one in particular. Hinata. 

Tobio is meant for punishment. Is created for it. Not for biting his tongue to hold back apologies.

Tobio turns and walks out.

He doesn’t whisper _I’m sorry_ into the air, hoping the wind will carry it back to Hinata’s house.

Except he kind of does.

— 

He’s terrified, Tobio realises. 

His body is a frantic mess. Hinata slammed a wrench into the system of intricate mechanics that make up the human body; His heart wants to crawl up and out of his throat every time his stupid mind falls back on Hinata. Which is frustratingly often. 

He’s never been scared of a human before. It’s embarrassing. 

Hinata still has Tobio’s knife. Still has the only thing that can truly hurt Tobio (although he’s starting to believe maybe Hinata wouldn’t need the knife to do that at all). 

He skips practice.

He’s not hiding from Hinata, he’s just… He’s taking precautions against a potential demon hunter threat. Who knows when the idiot might strike?

Surely, Hinata has figured him out. Surely, Hinata has figured out that Tobio has a few too many secrets. Surely. 

The tiny hope of _but maybe he hasn’t_ is squashed and buried under everything else.

—

“You _coward!_ ” 

Tobio blinks at him. Hinata stands in the doorway to Tobio’s room. If he squints, Tobio imagines he can see smoke emanating from Hinata. 

“Avoiding me is one thing, but skipping practice to avoid me? That’s so cowardly!” Hinata yells. 

Tobio stares. He stares, stares, stares because he has no idea what else to do.

There are sparks in Hinata’s eyes. They fly and land on the fuse to Tobio’s heart.

Hinata yells, “It’s _volleyball_ , you idiot!” and Tobio gets up from his bed.

“Why are you even here?” he says. For once, his voice sounds as cold as he tries for it to be. For once, he was kind of hoping it wouldn’t. 

Hinata stiffens. “Are you still angry with me?” he asks, almost whispers. 

No. He’s not, Tobio realises. He doubts he ever really was. 

“Maybe,” is what he says. 

Hinata’s shoulders sink like the weight of Tobio’s words is a burden to bear. He steps back.

Tobio’s hands itch to reach out. To grab Hinata’s shirt and shake him, punch him, hug him—he doesn’t know which, but he knows it’s not as a punishment. Knows it never was. Not with Hinata. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m scared.”

Tobio can’t hear if Hinata replies; his pulse is deafening as it pounds in his ears. 

Hinata takes a step closer. Then one more. Tobio’s heart shakes.

“Why?” asks Hinata.

He could tell him, Tobio reckons. He could just tell him right here, _I’m a demon_. Easy. 

He searches Hinata’s eyes. Notes the way his heart settles back into his chest. “Because I’m in love with you.”

It takes a second before he registers what he said. 

He stares at Hinata, horrified. Says, “No, I don’t mean...” but trails off because he means exactly what he said. 

He means it, and that’s precisely why he’s so unbelievably terrified.

Terrified of the human boy standing right in front of him. Terrified of what he can do to Tobio’s heart if he knows the whole truth. Stab it with the knife, break it into pieces with his words, Tobio doesn’t know which would be worst.

Hinata replies, “I hate you,” and Tobio grits his teeth, waits for the knife, “but I’m maybe also a little bit in love with you, too.”

There’s no knife. 

There’s no knife, and there are no words tearing Tobio’s heart apart. 

He knows that with certainty because he feels it slamming against his ribs when Hinata steps closer yet as if his fingers itch with the same urge to touch as Tobio’s own do. 

It feels a lot like a miracle when Tobio can lean down and touch his lips to Hinata’s. 

There’s only Hinata. The smell of him, the feel of him, the thought of him—it drives Tobio absolutely insane and maybe, _maybe_ , he doesn’t really hate that at all. Maybe. 

Tobio asks, “You are?”

Hinata follows his lips, doesn’t let any air slip between the two of them now. “Am I what?”

“Y’know…” Tobio flails his hand, hoping to convey something along the lines of _Are you really in love with me, like really-really? After everything, is that really how you feel about me?_ He thinks Hinata understands, anyway. 

“Of course, dumbass,” Hinata says.

Tobio glares. Partly because he can’t believe the answer could ever be that simple, and partly because Hinata can’t just steal Tobio’s lines like that. “That’s my line, dumbass.” 

In response, Hinata merely sticks his tongue out at him. 

“Why?” Tobio asks. “How?”

“Because you’re a dumbass, duh, you dumbass.” Hinata’s grin is blinding, and perhaps people imagine Hell to be hot, but Tobio figures out right then and there that being on the receiving end of Hinata Shouyou’s smile will melt just about anything—even a demon’s heart.

— 

He’s still here. 

‘Here’ being Tobio’s bed. 

Hinata is in his bed, smiling at Tobio like he’s the best damn thing in the world—although Tobio doubts he could ever compete with volleyball. 

He’s still in his bed after Tobio kissed him.

 _Kissed him_. It’s ridiculous.

Tobio’s a demon, a creature of Hell born out of fire and pain, and here he is: on Earth, in a bed with a boy he kissed. 

It’s embarrassing how that thought makes his stomach swirl and his heart jump. It’s stupid, dumb, confusing, and it’s lovely, lovely, lovely. 

It’s also so undeniably _human_.

Which Tobio reckons makes the fact that he’s undeniably _not_ human a very real issue.

He should tell him. 

Hinata might kill him, but allowing Hinata to live with a creature he’d rather kill than be with feels wrong.

“What are you thinking about, Yamayama-kun?” Hinata singsongs, his fingers playing the melody on Tobio’s abdomen. “If it’s the match against Nekoma, I promise to—”

“Demon,” Tobio cuts him off. The word is heavy and falls like lead on his chest. Hinata stares at him, mouth hanging open. “I’m a demon.”

He detects no reaction from Hinata except for closing his mouth. The block of lead on his chest pushes against his lungs, and he can’t breathe.

“Oh.”

Tobio blinks. Waits. When nothing else comes, he says, “ _Oh?_ ”

Hinata looks less shocked by this than Tobio telling him he’s in love with him. In Hinata’s defence, though, he’s always been a dumbass.

“I maybe, sort of, figured that, actually,” Hinata says. “The whole demon-thing.”

It dawns on Tobio that it’s a miracle in itself that the idiot beside him is even still alive. Does this guy have no survival instincts whatsoever? “Excuse me?”

“You being a demon. I figured.”

“You _figured_?” Tobio barks. “You figured I was a _demon_ and decided not to worry? What the hell, Hinata, you utter imbecile.”

“Oi! If you were so concerned about my safety, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was—” Tobio squints. “How did you even find out?”

“When I found the knife at your place—”

“I knew it.”

“—I saw some of your stuff and…” Hinata runs a hand through his orange mess of hair. 

“I truly hate you.”

Hinata smiles and pokes Tobio’s chest. “I know. It’s a mutual feeling.” 

Tobio does _not_ smile. 

(He does.)

“Anyway, at first, I just thought you were secretly some demon hunter, but then when you fled my house that night—”

“I did not _flee_. I walked away. With dignity.”

“You ran. Left your dignity at my doorstep.”

Tobio considers slapping Hinata for that but finds he’d rather get his mouth on Hinata’s lips again. So he does. 

Tobio’s heart races when he pulls back. Races, but in the good way. 

“How exactly _did_ you find all that stuff, anyway?” he asks. 

Hinata looks away. Licks his lips and flails his hands as if that’s supposed to explain anything. “So, uh,” he says.

“I always make sure to keep that stuff very, _very_ well hidden. The only thing...” Suspicion pulls at Tobio’s brows. “Were you going through my volleyball journal? The hell, Hinata, you can’t just—”

“No!” Hinata squawks. “I mean, well, technically, yes, _but_ I had my reasons!”

“Your reasons? That doesn’t mean you can look through my secret notes on everyone!”

“I wasn’t! I was only looking through…” 

It’s the abrupt way Hinata stops that tips Tobio from feelings of treachery of the highest degree to mildly curious. That, and the way Hinata flushes as he avoids Tobio’s eyes.

“Through what?” says Tobio. 

Hinata sighs. “I-was-trying-to-look-through-your-notes-on-me.”

It comes out so fast, it takes Tobio a few seconds to discern the words from each other. 

Well.

He didn’t expect that. 

“You wanted to see if I had…” Tobio glares and is about to make sure the idiot will never look through his journal again when the implication dawns on him. “Oh. _Oh_.” 

He scrutinizes Hinata’s face.

“Don’t be mad,” Hinata says, holding his hands up. “Or, extra mad. I know you’re mad, like, 90 percent of the time, anyway.”

Scowling, Tobio quips, “I’m not mad 90 percent of the time!”

“You’re mad right now!”

“You’re making me mad.”

“I do not make people mad, I make people happy!”

“I have never been happy in your vicinity, ever.”

“Lie.”

“I don’t lie.”

“You’re a demon, all you do is lie.”

“That’s not—” Tobio stops and stares at Hinata’s face, searching. He can’t find anything there indicating he wants to get rid of Tobio, and the relief is so overwhelming all Tobio can really muster as a response is: “Dumbass.” 

Hinata reaches up and tugs at Tobio’s bangs. “You’re happy when a game is going well, and we win.”

“No, I—” Tobio sighs. Squints. “I’m simply pleased to defeat the opponents.”

A beat and Hinata laughs. He’s all uncontrollable limbs and screeching howls, and Tobio absolutely hates how much he’s struggling not to join in.

Instead, he grumbles, “You’re the dumbest dumbass I’ve ever met.”

Hinata smiles brighter than any hellfire as he says, “And yet you love me, so who’s really the dumbass here, huh?”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked this! :)  
> come say hi to us on tumblr! [@fanfic4u](https://fanfic4u.tumblr.com/)


End file.
